What is it about dream pop and, especially, dream pop bands with female vocalists? Genres come and go in my appreciation, but not dream pop. Whether it was Lush in the ’90s, Broadcast in the early aughts, or Beach House today -all great bands with disconsolate songstresses – my interest never wanes.

Of course, a long-standing appreciation can make one critical of new comers. It’s difficult to impress. Enter: Architecture, a two-piece consisting of Rebecca Scott and Melissa Harris. Their debut EP When We Were Young is a study in the genre.

Both women are no strangers to dream pop. Scott is the voice of the beat-heavy, sonically assaulting Panda Riot and Harris was also once a member. But rather than being an addendum to that band, Architecture is a significant detour into darker, more haunting territory.

Like Beach House, slow keyboard drones paired with chiming guitar lines feature prominently through out the record’s six tracks. The record opens with “The Chant,” a great sampler of Architecture’s palette paired with a steady one-two bass drum beat, doubled vocals, and lovely harmony splits.

When We Were Young begins in earnest, however, with the record’s second track “In the Morning.” With polyrhythmic drumming and dissonant noise cacophonies, it’s a rare gem that blends complexity and abstraction while still delivering a great song.

The record’s solemn centerpiece “Paper to Ashes” opens Side B and it’s on this track, and the equally enthralling “Tomorrow,’” that great melodies become the focus and the fuzz and buzz garnish. This is the point where I really fell in love with this record and came to think of it as an important entry to the dream pop genre.

Album closer “Empty Bones’s” funeral-procession bleakness ends in a haze of jet-engine noise, cresting into an accordion-backed, acoustic guitar-driven la-de-da chorus, as if to say “you could strip away all specters and still find great songs underneath.”

It’s a powerful ending to an amazing EP that sports more solid tracks than some bands’ full lengths. When We Were Young is year-end, best-of material, and Architecture is an up-and-coming Chicago band to keep an eye on.

When We Were Young will be released on Saturday, April 9, at an album listening party at The Whistler.

Architecture – “Tomorrow”

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